CNN, or Cable News Network, is an American multinational news media company owned by the entertainment conglomerate Warner Bros. Discovery. Founded on June 1, 1980, by media entrepreneurs Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld, the Atlanta-based network became the first 24-hour cable news channel and the first all-news television channel in the United States. CNN International, which launched on September 1, 1985, broadcasts CNN programming globally. The network also operates a Beijing Bureau to cover China and Greater Asia.
The Middle East Broadcasting Center, also known as MBC Group, is a state-controlled media company based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, serving the Middle East and North Africa region. While the company identifies itself as “the largest and leading private multimedia company in the Middle East North Africa region,” it is 54 percent owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), a sovereign wealth fund chaired by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The company operates over 13 free-to-air television channels and three radio stations across the region. MBC Group also runs Shahid, an Arabic streaming platform offering series, movies, live television channels, sports, and international content. The company operates MBC Studios for content production and MBC Academy, a training platform for media professionals launched in 2020.
Warner Bros. Discovery is an American media conglomerate formed on April 8, 2022, through the merger of AT&T’s WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc. The company operates the original Warner Bros. studios — founded April 4, 1923, by four brothers from the Warner family (Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack) — along with HBO, CNN, the Discovery Channel, and streaming services HBO Max and Discovery+. Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, the company’s Singapore-based subsidiary, has engaged in numerous co-productions with Chinese state media since at least 2012, including a series about Xinjiang co-produced with CGTN called “World’s Ultimate Frontier” (走進新疆), and the 2017 three-part documentary “China: Time of Xi” (中国:习近平时代), which China Media Group chief described as serving “external communication” goals for building “a Chinese discourse and narrative system.”
Xiaohongshu (小紅書), also known as RedNote, is a Chinese social networking and e-commerce platform founded in 2013. Launched initially as an online shopping platform, it has evolved into something similar to Instagram, focusing on lifestyle content including fashion, beauty, and travel. The name is a tongue-in-cheek reference to Chinese leader Mao Zedong’s famous “Little Red Book,” or the Quotations of Chairman Mao (毛主席语录), which many Chinese carried during the Cultural Revolution period — suggesting the contemporary platform is an essential guide, in this case to shopping, that users must always consult. The app reported 300 million monthly active users worldwide by August 2025, nearly 80 percent of whom are women. In 2022, leaked documents published by China Digital Times revealed that Xiaohongshu’s content moderation teams censor posts about topics sensitive to the Chinese Communist Party, including derogatory nicknames for General Secretary Xi Jinping, labor strikes, and student suicides. In January 2025, Xiaohongshu experienced a significant influx of American users following TikTok’s week-long ban in the US.
Maekyung Media Group (매경미디어그룹) is a South Korean media conglomerate founded on March 24, 1966. The same year, it launched its flagship publication, Maeil Business Newspaper. Today, the group’s publications include Maekyung Economy, a weekly business magazine that debuted in 1979, Maeil Business TV for live financial market coverage, and Maekyung.com as its primary business news portal. Pulse, an English-language news website by the group, targets international audiences. In 2010, the group transformed its 24-hour news channel into a general programming cable TV channel, adding entertainment and drama content to the mix. Most recently, the group launched Maekyung AX, an AI-based knowledge platform that combines the group’s content with artificial intelligence technology. The Maekyung Media Group has previously engaged with Chinese media and technology companies, including hosting the China Greater Bay Forum in Shenzhen in 2019.
A wholly state-owned entity under the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) is the country’s national state broadcaster, tracing its origins to the Uganda Broadcasting Service first established in 1954 under British colonial rule. The modern corporation was established under the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation Act of 2005, under which the operations of Uganda Television and Radio Uganda were merged. UBC operates multiple television channels, alongside radio stations, newspapers, and regional services covering various Ugandan languages. UBC has closely engaged with Chinese state media entities, including the government-run China Daily, on media cooperation.
Fana Media Corporation S.C. (FMC) is a state-owned Ethiopian media organization formed through the merger of Fana Broadcasting Corporate and Walta Media and Communication Corporate. Launched in 1994, FBC has generally supported Ethiopia’s federal government and ruling Prosperity Party since 2020, and has signed content exchange agreements with Russian state news agency Sputnik. The company operates extensive broadcasting infrastructure including Fana Television, Fana Plus TV, National Radio, and twelve FM stations across Ethiopia, claiming to reach millions of viewers domestically and internationally. FMC broadcasts in nine languages including Amharic, Afan Oromo, Afar, Somali, Tigrigna, Wolaita, Sidamo, Arabic, and English, and describes itself as committed to Ethiopia’s “economic, social, and political development.” Beyond traditional broadcasting, the corporation provides media training and consultancy services while maintaining a digital presence. Operating under the slogan “We Reveal Ethiopia,” FMC has participated in China’s international communication initiatives targeting African audiences through programs like the China-Africa International Communication Alliance.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) is Nigeria’s state-owned news agency, established on May 10, 1976, and became operational on October 2, 1978. Created by the Nigerian government through Decree 19, NAN was formed in part to disseminate news easily across the country and to the international community, and also as a means to counter negative stories about Nigeria. The agency serves as the primary news content provider for Nigeria’s newspapers, electronic media, and bloggers, operating with 501 editorial staff nationwide and a correspondent in New York. NAN produces more than 200 stories per day and introduced satellite technology in 1998 to transmit content simultaneously to subscribers.
Atameken Business Channel is Kazakhstan’s first multimedia business news channel, providing comprehensive coverage of financial, economic and political developments. The channel offers news analysis, market ratings, economic projections, exchange rates, securities markets, precious metals pricing, commodity resources, banking news, stock exchange updates, and corporate information. As a specialized business media outlet, Atameken serves as a key source for economic intelligence and market data in Kazakhstan’s rapidly developing economy.
